Production 2020 Kia Telluride unveiled in Detroit at long last

Almost three years after we saw the 2016 Kia Telluride Concept, the big, boxy, production-spec SUV is finally ready for its public debut. After first showing the 2020 Telluride at New York Fashion Week in September, the soon-to-be-on-sale SUV takes the stage at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show this week.

The Telluride is the largest SUV in the Kia lineup, slotting above the seven-passenger Sorento. Its upright windshield leads down to a square hood and vertically stacked headlights. There’s hardly a curve to be found on the squared-off Telluride — even the taillights use an inverted L-shape design.

Despite its polarizing looks, the Telluride promises to be full of tech, including some new features never before seen on a Kia SUV. A new Highway Driving Assist option uses radar and lidar, combining lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control for hands-on, Level 2, semiautonomous driving. It can also adjust the cruise control to match speed limits on highways.

The Telluride also has an advanced blind-spot assist system that can apply the brakes to keep you from cutting someone off, should you ignore the warning beeps and boops. Further, it will apply the brakes if an impending rear cross-traffic collision is imminent.

Kids who might otherwise qualify for a Darwin Award get a break with Safe Exit Assist, which will keep the doors locked if the car detects an object approaching from behind while parked. Speaking of kids, parents get a Driver Talk microphone system to pipe their voices into the second- and third-row seats. There’s even a Quiet Mode, so mom and dad can listen to Metallica without waking their precious little darlings in the rear. Kia also joins the ranks of General Motors and Nissan, with a rear seat alert to (hopefully) prevent you from forgetting a kid or pet in the back of your Telluride.

Kia’s excellent Uvo infotainment system is found inside, and can be housed on an optional, 10.2-inch color touchscreen, with Apple CarPlay and Android Autostandard. Wireless charging is also available, as are six USB ports and the ability to connect two phones to Uvo via Bluetooth.

Under the hood, the Telluride is powered by the same 3.8-liter V6 as its Hyundai Palisade cousin, with 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque on offer. Power gets to the pavement via an eight-speed automatic transmission, and all-wheel drive is optional.

Driving modes include Eco, Smart, Comfort and Sport, and adjust the throttle, steering and transmission parameters accordingly. Further settings of Snow and AWD Lock distribute torque for specific traction situations.

Pricing isn’t available just yet, but we expect to have that in the not-too-distant future. And while it seems like we’ve been waiting for ages for the Telluride to hit, looks like we’ll still have to wait until later this year to actually buy it.